Sparks
by LolaJava90
Summary: Plans, travel, coffee and talking...Picks up after Bon Voyage. Includes JavaJunkie. A collab effort by DiehardJavaJunkie14, Schuyler Lola and Lorelai90.
1. Mourners and Fruit Baskets

**Disclaimer:** We own nothing. This is in place from here on in.

**A/N:** This is a collab work between Lorelai90, Schuyler Lola and DiehardJavaJunkie14. Each "episode" may take a little while to get out. All three of us are going over each part. Please bear with us!

* * *

Lorelai gently opened the door to the diner. She trudged in, seating herself at the counter. She'd known it was coming, even if she'd only known for a few days. Now there was a void, an obvious and painful void. Rory was gone… things just weren't going to be the same. Dropping Rory off at the airport left Lorelai emotionally drained. She had tried not to cry when she was at the airport, but when Rory had lost it, so had Lorelai. And now, Lorelai sat, staring at Luke, in a state of denial and on the verge of losing it again. 

From the way she had walked into the diner, Luke knew something was upsetting her. Now getting a look at her, he knew what it was. Her face said it all…Rory was gone...and she had come to the diner, of all places. He wrapped her into a hug and held her close, and Lorelai broke down again.

"I can't believe she's gone," Lorelai cried, her face buried in Luke's shirt.

Luke kissed Lorelai's forehead, trying to help her in any way he could. He knew there wasn't much he could do, but for Lorelai, he would try anything and everything. She needed him, and he would come through for her as he always did.

"Why don't we get you home?" Luke asked. "That way, you won't have to deal with these nutcases asking you a whole bunch of questions, and you can adjust at your own pace."

Lorelai leaned on Luke, allowing him to lead her to the house. He brought her to the couch, where Paul Anka was waiting. She sniffled as she scratched the dog behind his ear.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, handing her a box of tissues and sitting down next to her.

Lorelai took a tissue and shook her head. "Not right now."

"Well, I'll be here. Just let me know," Luke said.

Lorelai grabbed one of the couch pillows and lay down on it, clutching a tissue in her hand as she curled herself up next to Luke.

"It's so different," Lorelai said. "I mean, when I get up in the morning, I won't know exactly where Rory is. And her room… all her stuff…"

"You can leave Rory's room as is."

"But I won't know when to call Rory. She's a busy girl, and she's important, writing for an online magazine… she might not …"

"Lorelai, I promise you, Rory will not abandon you. Rory's way too thoughtful of a person to do that. Besides, she's your best friend. I mean, the way you two talk to each other… it's like you have your own language. She's not leaving you for good," Luke promised.

"I know… it's just… not the same."

He gently stroked her hair until she fell asleep.

* * *

Rory tried to lug her carry-on bag through the aisles of the plane without injuring anyone. It was a task that proved difficult. She tried to be aggressive, pushing her way into the aisle, but the other passengers beat her to it. 

She finally made her way off the plane, and stepped outside. It was going to be weird, staying in places that were nothing but unfamiliar. Everywhere she had gone before always had some element of home. Rory felt extremely out of place, almost as if everyone was staring at her, watching her every move.

She took a taxi to the small restaurant where her new boss had agreed to meet with her. Rory swore she wasn't going to start following Barack Obama, a presidential candidate, around without some sort of meeting and a conveyance of expectations from her boss.

She walked into the restaurant, which was busy with lunchtime customers, and looked around for a man who might be her boss. She saw a lot of official-looking businessmen, all of whom could be the man who hired her.

"You must be Rory Gilmore," a man said from behind her.

She turned around. "Yes," she said.

"I'm Dale Young. It's a pleasure to finally meet the reporter everyone's been talking about," he said, extending his hand for Rory to shake.

Rory shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, too."

"Why don't we have a seat, and I'll get you up to date on the plans?"

Rory nodded, following her new supervisor. He seemed nice enough. From the brief introduction, he seemed easygoing, and not too intimidating.

"Well, Rory, I'm sure you've heard by now that we want you to cover Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Your first assignment's going to be a town hall style meeting. Here are directions, as well as details on the town meeting. I presume you've been doing research on Senator Obama?" he asked, opening the menu.

Rory nodded. "Yes, sir, I have."

"Good. You're well prepared. And you don't have to call me 'sir'. It sounds… stuffy. I may be old, but I'm not stuffy."

"Okay," Rory said.

"I hear you're from Stars Hollow, Connecticut. A colleague of mine works for the Courant. It's a nice little area, I stayed there once on my way to an assignment. Charming town," Mr. Young said, scanning the menu for something that interested him.

"We're a close knit community. Most of the townspeople are a little crazy, but they mean well, and they really care about everyone else," Rory said.

Rory took a breath when she thought Mr. Young wasn't looking. She wasn't as anxious as she was before. Mr. Young was really nice. She knew she could go to him if she had a problem or a question. By the time the lunch was over, Rory felt extremely relieved. Everything was going to be okay. Rory could breathe a little easier now that she knew what was expected.

* * *

"Luke, how's Lorelai?" 

"She's taking it one step at a time… she's doing the best she can, I guess."

"Can I see her?"

"Babette, I don't think right now's a good time. She's still… in shock. Give her a little while to recover, and then I'm sure she'd love to see you," Luke insisted.

"Well, would ya tell her we're thinkin' of her?" Babette asked.

"I will, thanks Babette."

Lorelai opened her eyes, hoping everything that had happened was all a dream. But it wasn't. She shot up, and thoughts started running through her head. Had Rory called yet? How long had she been asleep? Who else had come to visit?

Luke turned the corner and stopped when he saw Lorelai sitting up.

"Hey," he said sympathetically.

"Hey," she responded.

"How are you feeling?"

Lorelai took a deep breath. "Okay. Any word from Rory yet?"

Luke shook his head. "But you've had plenty of visitors… Babette, Miss Patty…"

She stood up from the couch to find a fruit basket on the table. "A fruit basket?" she asked, pointing to the monstrosity of colors staring back at her.

"That's from Taylor. He was saying something about fruit, and how he thought you could benefit from eating fruit… then I realized that you don't eat fruit, and I blocked out the rest of his babbling," Luke replied, walking toward the door to answer it yet again. "Now if you really don't feel like talking to people, I suggest you lie down on the couch, and stay there until I let you know it's safe. You have more well-wishers."

"They act more like mourners," Lorelai said, lying down on the couch and covering herself with the blanket. More to herself, "They better not be wearing black."

Luke opened the door and Kirk poked his head inside, trying to catch a glimpse of Lorelai.

"Is Lorelai home?" Kirk asked, carrying flowers.

Luke shook his head. "No, but Paul Anka is. He might be a little more your speed, Kirk."

"I want to see Lorelai."

Luke blocked the doorway as Lorelai shoved her head into a pillow, trying not to laugh. Lorelai wasn't surprised that Luke made the comment, but she was surprised Kirk was so insistent on seeing her.

"Kirk, she's not doing so well right now, she needs space. I'll make sure she stops by and sees you when she's feeling better," Luke insisted, taking the flowers and shutting the door.

"Wow… that was really funny. The joke about Paul Anka? Priceless," Lorelai said, sitting up and stretching. She moved the blanket and the pillow so Luke could sit next to her.

"Well, frankly, I think Paul Anka is much more intelligent than Kirk. But that's just my opinion, the jury's still out," Luke said, wrapping his arm around Lorelai.

Lorelai moved closer to Luke. She was happy to have a moment without the rest of the town trying to make her feel better. It was the first time in a long time that Luke and Lorelai had some alone time, and Lorelai vowed to enjoy it. Then the phone rang. Lorelai jumped on the first ring, lifting up the blankets and throwing them aside. She searched on the table, under the couch, and in the kitchen before Luke held up the ringing phone. Lorelai jerked the phone from Luke's hands and answered it.

"Rory?"

"Mom! I miss you already!" Rory said from the other line.

Lorelai sat down on the couch. "I miss you, too, sweets. Tell me, tell me all about it! I want so many details that your story becomes a novel you would hate because of the excessive use of descriptive language without getting to the point."

"Okay… well, I got off the plane…"

"Ah, Rory, come on, I need to know from the moment you got ON the plane. That's hours of your life that I'm missing! I need to know everything!" Lorelai interrupted.

Rory sighed. "Okay, I got on the plane."

"Where did you sit? Aisle seat or window seat?"

"Aisle, of course, to catch the flight attendant for some peanuts," Rory stated plainly.

"I should have known. Continue," Lorelai replied.

Luke pointed to the kitchen, motioning to Lorelai that he would give her some privacy. Lorelai shook her head, grabbing Luke by the wrist and pulling him to sit down next to her.

"Well, then I opened up my carry on, and I got the note from you and Luke. That was really nice of you guys to write me a note. Anyway, so then I read the note, about six times, maybe seven if you count the time I was interrupted by the peanuts," Rory continued.

"Seven it is," Lorelai replied.

"Okay, seven times. Then, I pulled out the magazine we bought at the newsstand, and I thought of you when I came across the title article. 'How to make him believe anything you say'. You should read it, it's very informative. Anyway, so then I listened to the iPod Grandma and Grandpa got me that one time, that I've never used until now. It's a very useful gift."

Luke broke free from Lorelai's grip and went into the kitchen. He started making coffee as Lorelai talked to Rory.

"Okay, so then?"

"By the time I listened to my first playlist, my flight was over. I got off the plane and went to meet with my boss. His name is Mr. Young, and he's nice. He's about Grandpa's age, maybe older, and he was really helpful. He talked about Stars Hollow like it was the eighth world wonder," Rory replied.

"Not necessarily the entire town, but Luke's is enough to get that label… maybe just the coffee."

Rory groaned. "Mom, the coffee here is terrible. The food is awful, too. I had a burger today that tasted like rubber. I know I'm moving on after the town meeting with Senator Obama, but still, I need some good coffee and good food. I need sustenance, to get me through! Where is Luke when you need him?"

"He's in the kitchen, allowing me to experience the eighth world wonder for myself. He's making a pot of coffee that is much needed. Now when you come home, you'll want to eat at Luke's all the time. Or will the rubber hamburgers ruin the thought of all meat on buns for you?" Lorelai teased.

"When I come home, there is no doubt that I will eat all of the food I once took for granted. How could I pass that up?"

Lorelai took the cup of coffee Luke offered her and blew him a kiss as he walked back into the kitchen. He rolled his eyes, muttered "Jeez," under his breath, and went back to whatever he was doing in there. Lorelai sipped the coffee and sighed.

"Yeah, kid, you're missing out. I'll drink twice as much for you, so that way, you won't feel like you're missing it. And when you come back, we'll give you some coffee right away, to ensure that you're attentive enough to do all of the things I will drag you to do," Lorelai insisted.

The girls heard a click on the phone line, and Lorelai took the phone away from her ear, almost as if to check to see if something had disconnected their call. She put the phone back to her ear.

"Just to let you know, Lorelai, you will not be getting twice as much coffee from me. I don't know how that thought got in that complicated and very twisted brain of yours, but it's now being taken out," Luke said from the other phone line.

"Luke! Hi! I never really got to thank you for the really, really nice party I got the other day. It was so sweet of you to help out."

"Luke, how are you talking on the phone if I'm talking?" Lorelai questioned, taking another sip of coffee.

"You have more than one phone, and I just wanted to ensure that Rory doesn't get worried about the high levels of caffeine you swore you would ingest on her behalf. I won't allow it," Luke said. "And you're welcome, Rory, you deserved a nice party."

"What gives you the right to go on the other phone line? That's the trick my mother pulled on me when I was eight, trying to listen to my phone conversations to figure out what was going on in my life."

Lorelai leaned over the arm of the couch to try to see Luke. She couldn't catch a glimpse of him.

"This conversation might get slightly confusing," Rory pointed out.

"I just wanted to make sure that both of you knew I wasn't going to let Lorelai even think about that much coffee. The intoxication might happen by a thought process or something," Luke insisted.

"How dare you mock my coffee consumption. It's part of a myriad of quirks that make me who I am!" Lorelai teased.

Luke grunted. "And what would no coffee do to you?"

"Well, for one thing, it would make me extremely grouchy. Oscar would have to make some more room in his trash can, and prepare to divide the rent. Second, the withdrawal symptoms would allow me to wreak havoc on you, Luke. It's a win-win situation as long as you keep the coffee coming."

"Guys?" Rory interrupted.

"Yup, I'm here, kid, what's going on?" Lorelai answered.

"I miss you."

"We miss you, too babe."

Luke knew that was his cue to hang up. He did so, and allowed Lorelai some time with Rory on the phone.

"So, how are we going to solve this problem? I mean, I know there's a void. It's weird not being able to come home whenever I want to," Rory started.

"We should set up a calling time. A time you know you could be free, and I know I'll make time to talk, and we can talk. Seven?" Lorelai insisted.

"It sounds like a good plan, but then again, we're preventing each other from calling at six if we so choose," Rory pointed out.

Lorelai stood up from the couch, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders and bringing the coffee mug into the kitchen for a refill. She pouted, and Luke rolled his eyes, but the silent exchange resulted in another cup of coffee.

"Good plan, Rory. Call me, e-mail me, do whatever you want. I love you, and I miss you, and even if you're lonely at three in the morning, call me! I'd wake up for that," Lorelai replied, seating herself at the kitchen table.

"I love you, too, Mom. I'll call you."

"And do it soon. I can't go for long without talking to my lovely daughter!" Lorelai pleaded.

"Of course. I have to go, but I will call you at the most random time interval you can imagine," Rory promised.

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks, sweets."

"You're welcome," Rory said.

"Bye, Rory."

"Bye, Mom."


	2. The Best Laid Plans

As Lorelai tried to cope with the absence of her daughter and best friend, the town tried to cope with the news of Lorelai and Luke's reunion. The majority of the town was ecstatic, and thrilled that Luke and Lorelai were finally a couple once again. However, the town selectman wasn't as jovial. In fact, he felt the need to have a secret town meeting about it. Taylor stood at the podium, trying to get the town to listen to his view on the situation.

"Can we please try to come to order, people? I need you to listen to my side of things before we all go hog wild and shout everything out at once! I'm just trying to say that Lorelai and Luke should have properly informed us about their third go around at a relationship!"

"Taylor, don't you see? Lorelai's got a lot on her plate right now, and she's really upset about Rory's absence. She didn't think about telling you right away, because she's got a lot of other things on her mind! Give her time," Miss Patty interrupted.

"Yeah! Patty's right! Ya can't just expect Lorelai to come runnin' over to us, tellin' us all about her new relationship, because she's still tryin' to heal!" Babette interjected.

"While I appreciate your viewpoints, I feel as though we have been thrust aside for yet another meaningless relationship of Lorelai's…"

"Meaningless? Taylor, come on, have you seen the change in Lorelai since the last breakup? It's obvious that she hasn't been the same," Jackson replied.

Taylor banged the gavel on the podium, sighing in frustration that no one was listening to him.

"Folks, please, I'm trying to finish my explanation, and when I do…"

"We're all gonna react the same way we're reactin' now, rollin' our eyes and shakin' our heads. You're the only person in the entire town, maybe in the entire state or the entire world, that feels the way you do," Babette argued, flailing her arms at mention of the world.

"It's hopeless, Taylor, just give in already. Somewhere in that head of yours, you'll find a belief that Luke and Lorelai are meant to be together," Miss Patty added.

Taylor took a deep breath. "All who are in favor of the Luke and Lorelai relationship, a show of hands?"

Each person attending the town meeting raised their hand simultaneously, and Kirk raised two. Taylor was outnumbered greatly, and the townspeople were officially on Luke and Lorelai's side.

"Well, I suppose I have to support my fellow citizens, and how they're thinking and feeling. So, what should we do about it?" Taylor asked, waving the gavel as he talked.

Kirk shot up from his seat. "If I may, Taylor, Lulu and I have come up with a fantastic idea to support the blossoming relationship. We suggest a wedding planning committee. After all, June 3rd is rapidly approaching, and we all know that Luke has purchased a ring. So, we all shouldn't be surprised if a shotgun wedding is in the works," he said.

Taylor's face lit up at the idea of forming a committee. "That is a brilliant idea. I agree with Kirk. Luke is unable to stand back and let Lorelai handle the proposal this time. All in favor of a planning committee?"

Once again, all in attendance raised their hands.

"Well, there you have it. A committee is formed. Sookie, would you be interested in planning the menu?" Taylor asked.

"Sure. I know exactly what Lorelai wants," Sookie replied, grabbing Jackson's hand. "And Jackson will assist me."

"I'll be in charge of decorations," Lulu offered. "I have some really nice theme ideas."

"I'll spread the word around," Babette suggested. "I'll be a middle woman for anyone who needs it."

Taylor nodded. "All of your services are appreciated. Now, make sure that Luke and Lorelai don't get wind of this. If that happens, all of our plans will be squashed like a bug. Even the best laid plans turn out badly, so my suggestion is to look around you before you speak about the wedding plans. Then, when you're positive neither one is around, look some more."

"And don't talk about it in the diner, that's an obvious no-no," Miss Patty added.

"Anyone else who wishes to be involved should see Kirk or Lulu. And with that, I believe our meeting is adjourned," Taylor said, banging the gavel.

* * *

Lorelai hung up the phone and set it down on the kitchen table. She stared at it for a moment, almost willing it to ring once again.

"You okay?" Luke asked, placing a plate of chili fries in front of Lorelai.

She nodded. "I'm fine. I just miss her."

Luke seated himself across from her. "Understandably so. And if you ever need anything, you know I'll be here for you. Even if you want me to make you a cup of coffee before you go to work in the morning, I'll do it. You know that, right?"

Lorelai stuffed a few chili fries in her mouth. "You will?"

"Yeah, I will."

"Forever?" she asked, her mouth full of fries.

Luke sighed, surprised he could understand her garbled speech. He grabbed her hand and nodded. "Of course."

Lorelai quickly chewed her mouthful, holding up her index finger, insisting that Luke wait to listen to what she had to say. "So then that means that we have a future. There is an us… a Luke and Lorelai in the future! This is great. You know what?"

"Aw, Jeez," Luke said, regretting his accidental broaching of the 'future' discussion.

"Come on, Luke, let me finish. I have always had this… dream life, planned out in my head. It sounds corny, even more so than a rose ceremony on the Bachelor, but it's the way I want my life to be."

"You've planned out our future?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Allow me to explain."

* * *

Lorelai pulled into the driveway after a long day at the inn. Michel was as obnoxious as ever, refusing to speak English to the annoying Guests, and Martha had come down with a cold, so Sookie hadn't been able to make it to work. The inn wasn't as stable without Sookie. Lorelai was happy to be home.

She shut the door to her car, and opened the front door. Paul Anka came running, as usual, to greet her. She crouched down to pet him. All of a sudden, she heard wild giggling coming from the kitchen.

"Ah, Jeez. Morgan, stop blowing sugar at your brother. And Will, stop egging her on. Now, who's going to help put in the chocolate chips?"

Lorelai smiled as she saw her husband teaching their twins how to make cookies. Luke surely wouldn't eat any, unless he ate them when the rest of the family was fast asleep, but Lorelai and the twins sure would.

Morgan scratched her forehead, leaving some residue behind in the area she scratched. "Hi, Mommy!" she said, smiling and running toward Lorelai.

"Freeze, Morgan. You're covered in… stuff. Stay in the kitchen, remember rule number one?" Luke cautioned.

Morgan backed up past the entryway, ensuring that her toes were not passing an obviously instituted imaginary line. Lorelai entered the kitchen, stepping over lumps of sugar and other ingredients necessary for the preparation of chocolate chip cookies.

"Wow, guys, this looks like a lot of fun! Who had the idea to do this?" Lorelai asked, kissing Morgan and Will on the head and Luke on the cheek.

"Daddy did," Will answered, grabbing a handful of chocolate chips and letting them go in the mixing bowl.

"Daddy did?" Lorelai asked, raising an eyebrow.

Morgan nodded. "He said he had a surprise for you, and this was only part of it."

Lorelai's smile grew wider, slightly mischevious, and she turned to Luke.

"You have a surprise for me, huh?" she asked, massaging his shoulder.

"Ah, Jeez," Luke said, rolling his eyes.

"Dirty," Lorelai replied.

"Not dirty, especially not in front of our four year olds. That's enough chocolate chips, Will."

"You're obviously telling them something I'm not getting, aren't you? Because Morgan spilled the beans," Lorelai insisted.

"Like that's a surprise," Luke grunted.

"Like that's a surprise," Morgan repeated.

"Oh, good girl! You learned to play shadow! Now, the number one rule of shadow is that you never, ever do it to Mommy. You only do it to Daddy, because Mommy likes seeing Daddy get annoyed," Lorelai coached, wiping off Morgan's hands.

"Okay!" Morgan answered enthusiastically.

* * *

Lorelai stuffed the last handful of chili fries in her mouth and handed the plate to Luke.

"Your future is really twisted. Did you know you didn't inform me of my own secret plan?" he asked, placing the plate in the sink.

Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "Ah, well the rest of the story involves Rory coming home, taking the twins out to see a movie, or to do something else fun, and you carrying me upstairs!"

Luke sighed. "I stand by my earlier statement."

Lorelai sipped her coffee, leaning toward Luke. "Now remind me why your idea of a future is better than mine? Mine is realistic, see. Realistic is key when thinking of these things."

Luke grabbed his baseball cap and lifted it to scratch his head. "And you think us having twins is realistic?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Ah, well, that part might vary, but still, the rest seems accurate."

"Me using our children to try to suck up to you? Ah, yes, entirely realistic. I'm so sorry I didn't see it before."

"So if my dream future's not so great, what would yours consist of?" Lorelai questioned, dragging her chair closer to Luke's. "I have to hear this."

Luke shook his head. "I haven't planned out every moment of our future. I take things one day at a time."

"I beg to differ. Come on, now, Luke, spill the future. You have some sort of idea, don't you?"

Luke sighed. "Fine. But this goes nowhere beyond these four walls."

* * *

Lorelai laughed. "You? Coach a Little League team?" 

"First of all, I didn't do it on my own, remember who forced me. And second, I'm trying to get this out here, all right? At least I'm telling you some part of my future. I didn't interrupt you, so hold back any sarcastic comment until the story's finished."

* * *

The team ran over immediately, kneeling in front of Luke, listening intently.

"All right, now, guys, remember to keep your eye on the ball, step and swing, and we'll be fine. Remember, you're here to have fun, but winning is an added bonus. So try your hardest, all right?"

"Why are we all kneeling? You're not proposing to me again, are you?"

Luke jumped and turned around. "Jeez, Lorelai, we're having a team meeting!"

Nathan waved to Lorelai, who waved back and blew her son a kiss.

"I am part of the team. I'm the team mom, remember? I'm the one who got Sookie to bake the cookies for after the game!" Lorelai insisted.

"All right guys, these are your positions. We're the home team, so that means we're in the field first. Tommy, you're in center field today. Ryan, you're at shortstop, Nathan, third base, and Eddie, you're catching."

"Where am I?" Lorelai asked.

"In the bleachers," Luke pointed. "Mark, you're at first, and Jeffrey, you're at second. Eric and Adam, left and right field respectively. You know what respectively means?"

The players looked up at Luke in a blank stare.

"That means the order I said your names in is… ah, Eric, left, Adam, right. And Connor's pitching."

"The bleachers? Luke, that's so far away? Can't I stay on the bench, nurse anyone's cuts?" Lorelai pleaded.

"We'll call you if we need you," Luke insisted.

* * *

"That's it? We only have one kid? Wow, Luke, I'm surprised. I would have thought that you would have wanted to show everyone that you CAN reproduce," Lorelai insisted.

Luke sighed. "Lorelai, listen, it's just a work in progress, I didn't think about this before you asked me to come up with an ideal future right off!"

"Well, for a work in progress, it's okay, but I think we need another kid. And the take a knee thing is cheesy. Where's the other kid in your story? Am I pregnant in your dream future?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know. It was my story, and in my story, there was only one kid. Good enough?" Luke rolled his eyes. "You have this uncanny ability to mock anything that comes your way. Are you aware of that?"

Lorelai nodded. "It's a gift. My fairy godmother told me to use it wisely, but I didn't really listen. Besides, she didn't give me a pony like I wanted her to, so I'm still mad at her."

Luke sighed. "I rest my case."

Lorelai kissed Luke. "So is that our plan? We're having a future?"

Luke nodded. "Barring any sort of… mishap or something. Besides, no matter how much you plan something…"

"Yeah, I know, I know, the best laid plans… blah, blah, blah." Lorelai opened and closed her hand, mocking the statement. "But why can't we just consent to the fact that there is a future, involving a little of both stories?"

"We can acknowledge that. I can compromise," Luke said. "But there are a lot of things that need to be straightened out before we can get to the dream future you want… we have a lot of things to discuss."

Lorelai nodded, standing up from the table. "Yeah, you're right. We do need to talk… but is it okay if we save the heavy stuff for another day? I just like the light, fluffy stuff for today. It's putting me in a better mood."

Luke stood up and kissed Lorelai. "I think that's a good plan."


	3. Dropping Rings

Lorelai strolled into the Dragonfly's kitchen – and stopped dead in her tracks. "What is wrong with this picture?"

"I don't – what?" Sookie looked around.

"What's wrong with this picture?" Lorelai repeated, making a beeline for the coffee maker. "Does anything seem a little strange to you? Like, anything a little weird in here?"

Sookie looked around again. "Nope. Sweetie, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Lorelai waved her hand as she sipped her coffee. "It's just that we have an inn full of guests and you know, some of them might want to eat. And I'm looking around and wondering where our entire kitchen staff is. And now, judging by the overwhelming odour – fancy cologne, right? – that Michel was in here for longer than the allowed two minutes."

"Oh, yeah…" the chef's voice trailed off as a look of disgust overcame her face, leaving Lorelai in no doubt over the outcome of that conversation.

"Sookie!" Lorelai put down her coffee cup. "Remember why we instated the rule that Michel only be allowed in the kitchen for two minutes at a time?"

"Because the last time he was in here, mocking us, supper exploded and Derek got his hand caught in the mixer." Sookie winced. "That was a disaster."

"That's right." Lorelai brushed back a strand of hair. "And they all hate him."

"Are we the only people who like Michel?" Sookie mused.

"Sure."

"What's wrong with us, then?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I have no idea."

"In your case, too much coffee." Sookie giggled.

"There's no such thing as too much coffee, Sook," Lorelai tossed out.

"Hey," Sookie murmured gently. "Are you okay?"

Lorelai shot her a dismissive look.

"Lorelai." Sookie walked around the counter. "You're doing better than you were? About Rory?"

"I'm…better." She studied the rim of her mug. "It gets easier. I guess. I still miss her, a lot. It's just…"

"Just what?" Sookie prodded.

"It's just weird to realize that she won't ever really live at home again, you know?" Lorelai frowned, looking at Sookie directly. "I walked in the front door yesterday, and it hit me. Like a brick wall. Or Wile E. Coyote hitting the ground after he falls off a cliff. It sounds stupid, doesn't it?"

"No, it doesn't, sweetie."

"Good." Lorelai patted Sookie's arm. "How's little whatsit?"

Sookie laughed. "Little whatsit?"

"Well, come up with a name, woman!" Lorelai threw up her hands. "Then it will no longer be an it."

"I'll tell you when I find out what it is."

"And when is that?"

"When little 'whatsit' comes out."

"Sookie!"

"Well, I want to be surprised," Sookie argued. "Plus, Jackson and I will get to a whole new level of the name debate that's just unhealthy."

"Alright, hon," Lorelai laughed as she downed the last of her coffee.

"Lorelai." Michel stood in the doorway. "There is an irate guest on the phone who does not wish to talk to me, who is undoubtedly more qualified than you, whom he wishes to talk to."

"Fine, Michel, I'm coming." Lorelai gave him an exaggerated sigh before starting for the door.

Sookie caught her arm. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Michel made an unidentifiable noise with the back of his throat. "What are you two talking about?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You. Sookie said you weren't fit to live with pigs, but I said you were."

He stared at her. Finally, Michel said, "Your immaturity makes me ill."

Sookie laughed. "See you later."

"Yeah." Lorelai twirled out if the kitchen, but not before giving the pair a smile. Her patented sarcastic smile.

* * *

The alarm clock beeped. Loudly. Again and again. Rory groaned, snuggling down into the hotel bed. She was jet-lagged and hungry, yet she didn't feel like moving so she could alleviate the hunger pains.

She had to get up. She had to have breakfast, and had to go to that – what was it, again? For a moment, Rory couldn't remember where she had put the day's itinerary. This hotel room was strange. Like everything else. She wasn't sure if calling Lorelai had made her more or less homesick.

She was going to take a gander and say yes, she was more homesick now.

After the forty-seventh head-splitting beep from the alarm clock, Rory threw off the duvet. "I'm going to be a popsicle," she announced to her cell phone. "Where is that stupid temperature thing?" She padded across the carpet and tried to change the thermostat. "Stupid!" she snapped. "Stupid, stupid, stupid -" she had just taken note of the time for the breakfast meeting she had with Mr. Young. She had less than half an hour left. "Oh. No."

Rory ran for the bathroom. There was no time for a shower. "Tomorrow," she said to the mirror Rory, who was busy trying to clip back her dark curls, "I am setting my alarm clock earlier." Mascara now. "I'm going to have all my stuff ready the night before." Rory held up her favourite lipstick, debating on whether or not to wear it. Why not? She went for it. "And it's just so typical to be late on your first official day. What is it with Gilmores and time?" She started rummaging through her suitcase for wrinkle-free clothing. "I think I got that gene from Mom."

Rory finally pulled on a white blouse, underneath her navy blue blazer and matching skirt. She twirled around in front of the full length mirror, making sure nothing embarrassing would happen in regards to her clothing. No skirts tucked into pantyhose – better not; she'd torn two pairs just in her haste to get ready. Rory smoothed the lapels of her blazer, picked up her cell phone in the pouch on her bag, and walked calmly to the door.

She snuck a peek at the day's itinerary. It was pretty low-key, for a start. Tomorrow, though, would be the big day: it would be her first press conference. With Barrack Obama, front and centre. This was major stuff.

Rory stuck the itinerary back into her briefcase. Up ahead, she could see a woman stepping into the elevator. She started to walk faster, hoping to arrive before the doors closed. She saw movement in the elevator as the woman held the door open for her.

"Thank you so much," Rory breathed, managing to get herself in the elevator. She checked her watch. Ten minutes before her meeting. She was swimming in time. Rory heaved a sigh.

"No problem," the woman replied cheerfully. "Are you with the Barrack Obama campaign?"

"I'm a reporter on the campaign," Rory replied. She straightened up slightly, feeling the importance of that single statement. She felt pride flow through her body, a testimony to the fact she still couldn't really believe this. "Rory Gilmore."

The woman shook her hand. "Tallulah Bell," she said. 'I'm on the campaign as well – with the New York Times."

"Oh, wow," Rory murmured. It was one thing to read the New York Times and dream about working there; it was another thing entirely to meet someone who worked for the Times and find out you're working on the same thing. Rory tried to breathe, "I'm with an online magazine."

The older woman nodded. "Just starting out?"

"I graduated from Yale, like last week," Rory admitted.

"Good school." She grinned. "Are you nervous to start working?"

"A little."

"Don't worry. Trust me, there's no time to worry. Besides, I'm sure you'll do great. You were editor of the Yale Daily News, right? And you wrote the Features beat before that?"

Rory nodded. Tallulah smiled. "I came across some old copies of the Daily News in the office. You're talented."

The elevator dinged, signalling that they were on the main floor. "I'll see you later, Rory," Tallulah said. "Good luck."

Rory followed her out of the elevator, feeling more confident than she had in days.

* * *

She had been hoping to make it into the diner without too much fanfare – no such luck. Miss Patty and Babette stopped her before she could cross the street. "Lorelai! You mystery woman!" Miss Patty called. "We haven't seen you in days!"

"Yeah, how are ya, sugar?" Babette added.

Lorelai plastered her insta-smile on. "I'm…well, you know – work, parents…I'm fine."

"You sure? We were all so damn worried about you!" Babette exclaimed.

"It's getting easier." She inched to the right, hoping they would get the message and let her leave.

"Have you heard from Rory?" Miss Patty pressed. "That girl's such a sweetheart, it must be such a shock to her to be out there."

"She's adjusting. She'll be fine."

"Good to hear, doll." Babette patted her arm. "Tell Rory we said hi."

"I will." Lorelai inched further away. "See you two later."

"Take care of yourself, Lorelai." Miss Patty waved as Lorelai smiled genially and walked away.

"What do you think?" Babette muttered.

"She's definitely back with Luke. Call Taylor. We're even more right than we thought."

Babette clapped her hands. "Weddings are just so damn beautiful!"

* * *

Lorelai pushed open the door of the diner. "Lorelai." Kirk was looking – no, staring – at her.

"Hi, Kirk. What can I do for you?" she asked.

"I've started another business," he began, "and as one of our always preferred customers, I was wondering when you'd like a free trial."

"Of what?"

"Hemp blankets. All-natural, hand-woven, very stylish, and Al Gore won't hate me for selling them."

"That's a great idea, Kirk." Lorelai sat down at the counter. "But you know who's going to hate you for soliciting in his diner?"

Kirk paled. "Luke. I knew I should've set up somewhere else."

"Have a nice day, Kirk." Lorelai spun around to face the kitchen. "Hey, Luke!"

"Hey," He called back. "How are you?"

"Ten."

"What?"

"Wow, I'm making a killing on this one. You're the tenth person to ask me that. I'm fine." She smiled at him. "Hi."

"Hi." Luke reached for the coffeepot. "I assume…?"

"Correctly." She took a giant gulp of coffee. "You know I have dreams about this coffee, right?"

"You're crazy." Luke pulled out his notepad. "Do you want anything else?"

"Cheeseburger with everything. And a really huge plate of fries." She lowered her voice. "Oh, yeah, I have dreams about your coffee all the time. Sometimes, it even talks to me."

"After you've had too much to drink?"

Lorelai glared at him. "It talks in your voice. Very sexy, by the way."

Luke rolled his eyes. "When you put it like that, Lorelai…"

"I knew you'd be happy." She put down the coffee mug and folded her hands. "Are you gracing my house with your presence tonight?"

"If you stop talking about talking coffee, I'll be there."

"Good."

Her cell phone started to ring; her ringtone trilling cheerfully to the tune of "How bizarre."

"What the hell is that?" Luke growled at her.

"My phone."

"Good Lord." He sucked in his breath. "Outside. Now."

"Luke…please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Fine." She started searching for the phone anyway, ignoring his glares. She found the cell phone and pulled it out, letting a few other items fall onto the counter.

She had forgotten where she had put her wedding ring. As it clattered out onto the counter, she remembered. Lorelai glanced at the caller ID. Emily and Richard Gilmore. That could wait. She picked up the ring and the phone, chucking them back into her purse. Not before the significance of the band had registered in Luke's eyes. She saw the flash of pain. She knew it was reflected in her eyes. Lorelai swallowed now, feeling a dryness in her throat. "Luke, I didn't know – I never…I didn't even put it…" she stopped.

Luke bowed his head, speaking so quietly that she had to lean forward to hear him. "I think we're due for that heavy talk, Lorelai," he murmured.

She nodded, staring into the dark coffee depths. "Yeah. I guess we are."

He stood straight again, wiping the counter. Watching her. Lorelai tried to force some oxygen into her lungs. It wasn't working.

As she fumbled with some money to pay, Luke put his hand on hers. "Don't. You don't pay here."

Lorelai fled.


	4. The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be

Rory felt her phone vibrate in her bag, in the middle of lunch. "Excuse me," she said, smiling, before slipping out of the room. "Okay, what do you want? I am in the middle of lunch!"

"What are you having?" Lorelai asked.

"Chicken alfredo."

"Oooh, fancy." There was a rustle. "My baby's a grown-up reporter, eating exotic lunches and not having any time to talk to her poor mother!"

"Stop," Rory admonished her. "What's up?"

"Okay, you remember how happy I was that Luke and I were going to give it another shot?"

"Ye-es…"

"I'm really trying to remember that happiness right now."

"Mom? What happened?"

Pause. Sigh. "Well, we're going to have the talk. The Talk. About…you know."

"Oh. Oh." Rory switched ears. "What are you going to say?"

"That I was abducted by aliens and that explains everything? That Chris broke it off because of Luke? That I was – am – still -" Lorelai cleared her throat. "Well, there's no white flag above my door."

"Dido?" Rory cringed. "There are so many things wrong with that."

"I know. I'm not in the mood for a good one."

Rory concealed a yawn. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. Try not to have a meltdown, I guess?" Lorelai gave a bitter laugh. "I need to channel my inner law enforcement personality."

"What?"

"All the TV show cops and Feds and doctors can handle whatever's thrown their way."

"I get it. Like Megan or Ziva?" Rory asked.

"Exactly." Lorelai stifled a yawn. "Which approach should I take?"

"If you want to kill, maim, or torture Luke as soon as he opens his mouth, sure, Ziva would be a great choice," Rory responded. 'But if you want to listen, read his mind and be understanding while still having the ability to kick his butt all over the place, I'd go with Megan."

"Either way, I'm still a tad creepy," Lorelai mused. "Got any more TV role models for me?"

"Donna Reed. Kate Tanner. Jill Taylor. Jordan Cavanaugh. Temperance Brennan. Allison Cameron."

Lorelai sighed. "None of them are going to help me."

"Nope," Rory agreed. "They aren't. On account of the fact that they're all fictional."

"Yeah." All joking aside, Rory could hear the anxiety in her mother's voice.

"I think you just have to get him to listen, Mom. Just make him hear you."

"Okay. Thanks." Lorelai paused. "Enough about me. How's life on the road?"

"The same as the last time. Getting better." Rory rolled her eyes intuitively, before realizing that Lorelai couldn't see her. "Still scary, big, and important, though."

"Well, that's lovely."

"Yes, it is." Rory looked back at the restaurant. "I have to go. I love you."

"I love you too, sweets."

Rory hung up the phone, pressing her cheek to the smooth plastic of the back of her phone.

* * *

"Here's your martini, Lorelai," Richard announced, handing over the drink. He settled into a chair. "How's Rory?"

"Five minutes. Impressive restraint on your part, Dad."

"Lorelai," Emily chided.

"Sorry." She took a sip of her martini. Why had she agreed to continue with Friday night dinner, anyway? "Rory got to Iowa just fine. She's got a press conference tomorrow and she's really excited. She's doing pretty well."

"That's good to hear," Richard replied. "I still can't believe she's gotten her first job."

"At an online magazine," Emily commented disparagingly. The other two snapped their heads to glare at her. "What? She's starting out quite small, but Rory is a talented girl. She'll do well."

"Thank you," Lorelai answered. "How's work, Dad?"

Emily shot her a look. "What?" Lorelai protested. "I'm just trying to take an interest in the family. Not a crime."

"Work is doing well, Lorelai," Richard said. "The inn?"

"Crazy but fun," Lorelai stated. "Sookie's freaking out over the interviews to find her replacement during her maternity leave."

"How many children will she have, then?" Emily asked.

"Three." Lorelai held out her empty martini glass. "Refills, anyone?"

"One drink before dinner is quite enough, Lorelai," Emily told her.

"Then let's get dinner, so we can head for the port," she suggested.

Richard peered at her. "Lorelai, are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, smiling. "Just fine."

"If you say so." Emily stood up. "Shall we?"

Lorelai waited until her parents had left the room. "'Just fine'?"

* * *

As it turned out, Lorelai ended up declining the port. She was far too jumpy by the end of the dinner. Friday night dinner made her crazy. Paranoid. Nervous. The impending talk with Luke was intensifying these "symptoms." Lorelai pulled up to her house. She turned off the jeep and sat staring at the steering wheel. It didn't inspire any confidence in her.

She crept into the house, feeling like a teenager caught after curfew. She took off her three-inch heels and turned into the living room. She felt the object in her fist press against her skin.

Luke was there, sitting on the couch, watching TV. Lorelai hung back, watching him. It felt right to have him there in the house, looking as if he lived there.

He seemed to sense her presence. "Hey."

"Hey." She inched her way to the couch, still standing. "Who's winning?"

He gave her a wry smile. "Would you know who I was talking about even if I told you?"

"No." She kissed his cheek. "Of course not."

"I didn't think so." He turned off the TV.

Lorelai felt a not-so distant flutter of panic. "So."

"So," Luke echoed. "This is awkward."

"You can say that again," she murmured.

"Yeah." He fell silent. "How was dinner?"

"Oh, the usual cornucopia of medieval torture methods," Lorelai said cheerfully. "I tell you, the Gilmores should write a book." She laughed. "No, they weren't quite as good tonight. I was disappointed with them, actually."

"How sad."

"Mmm-hmm." She looked at her clenched fist. The object was digging into her skin even deeper, likely leaving permanent welts. She winced, not really wanting to have more scars on her hand. "Luke," she began, unclenching her fist, "this means nothing." She held the band of gold on her fingertips, as if she didn't want it touching her.

"It meant something," he replied, not making eye contact with her.

"Maybe." Lorelai gave a quick shrug, trying to disguise the tears in her eyes.

"What did it mean, Lorelai?"

God, she loved the way he said her name, even now. "It meant something that I bypassed twenty-three years ago. It meant another stupid mistake in the life of Lorelai Gilmore." She laughed, a tad bitterly. "It meant escape." She stood up, running a hand through her hair. "I think my parents were bursting with joy when I said that Chris and I got married. But, they were happier than I was. I thought, 'Shouldn't I be the happy one?' I wasn't, Luke. I wasn't happy. I was resigned. But hey, Emily and Richard Gilmore were delighted!"

"Because their daughter was married to the man who is the father of their granddaughter?" Luke supplied.

"I was supposed to marry him," she pointed out. "That's the way I've always heard it should be."

He waited for her, just the sounds of their breathing disturbing her thoughts. Finally, she turned to look at him. "I was right the first time around," she murmured. "I didn't want to marry Chris. I don't think I've ever wanted to marry Chris. Maybe when I was fourteen. But then, it was just escape.

"I was tired of coming home to an empty house with paint and furniture that we picked out together. So I went with it." Lorelai twisted the hem of her blouse. "Luke, that night… I thought you didn't want to marry me." Her voice caught, and she looked back at him. The lamplight played with the shadows on Luke's face. She saw the glint in his eyes.

"I have always wanted to marry you," he replied.

"Always?" Lorelai managed.

Luke nodded. "Pretty close." It was his turn to pace the living room. "They all said it – everyone in this medical experiment of a town. They said, 'He's going to get her.'" He cleared his throat. "Normally, I don't care or listen to whatever any of them think, because they drive me crazy, but this was different. I hoped they'd be right.

"I wasn't sure who to blame – you, me, or Christopher." He spat the name out, leaving no lingering doubts on his feelings for the other man. "You were right, Lorelai – I shut you out. I didn't mean to. It just... happened. It was easier to keep everything separate. It was safe. I could handle it that way.

"I thought it was going to be fine. I was going to work on bringing you and April together. But, dammit, you had to sleep with him!"

Lorelai recoiled, shrinking into the couch. The ferocity, the hatred in his eyes, threatened to evoke more tears from her. She knew it wasn't for her, but still… His eyes softened upon seeing her reaction. He now looked sad. "That night, in the supermarket, I didn't mean that. What I said." Luke coughed. "I wanted to mean it. I wanted to forgive you.

"After I saw you falling apart at the seams, going around town like a ghost, seeing that you felt as bad as I did, I knew it was time." He chuckled a little. "Miss Patty and Babette would come in the diner and talk about you, just loud enough for me to hear, about how you were doing. When Rory's graduation party came along, it was time. I was ready. I was back in."

"I'm sorry, Luke." Lorelai drew a shaky breath. "I am so, so sorry."

"Me too." He let her lean on his shoulder. Her hair brushed his neck, and she took his hand, just looking for something to hold onto.

* * *

**A/N**: Alright, this is the part where we ask you for feedback. Because we'd really like it. Reviews letting us know how we're doing are amazing. Thanks.


	5. The Attraction of Flannel

The Attraction of Flannel

"So what's new in Star's Hollow? Anything?" That was almost a rhetorical question. There was always something new in Star's Hollow, and it was usually something crazy. Rory missed that, and was hoping her mother could fill her in on the town's latest craziness.

"Not that much. It's been uncharacteristically quiet around here since you left."

Rory didn't believe that. "What's Kirk been doing?" she asked. Where there was Kirk, there was always craziness.

"He's…" Lorelai trailed off, thinking. "I don't know, I think he's a crossing guard… or maybe a jeweler… No, that's not right. I can't think of what he's doing now. I haven't seen him around that much, actually."

"Kirk's always around. How can you not have seen him?" Rory suddenly had a thought, and changed her tone, concerned. "You've been out since I left, right? You haven't just gone between home and the inn?"

"I've been out," Lorelai said quickly, trying to allay her daughters concerns.

"You have?" Rory was skeptical. "Where did you eat breakfast this morning?"

"Luke's," Lorelai said as if it was the most obvious fact in the world. "Where else?"

"Just checking. So nothing's going on in town… what about at home? How are Luke and Paul Anka?"

"Luke's great. He's Luke."

"How'd the talk go?"

"As well as could be expected."

From her mother's tone, Rory sensed that she'd like to change the subject. "Don't want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Later?"

"No, I just don't want to talk about it. Again. Moving past it. It's just Luke and I now. No one else. Besides you. And Paul Anka."

"Okay," Rory said, accepting her mother's wishes. "So how's Paul Anka?"

"Paul Anka," Lorelai said dramatically, "has taken a liking to one of Luke's favorite shirts."

"Now we're getting somewhere."

"You know the blue flannel one that Luke wears a lot?"

"Mom, all Luke's shirts look the same."

"Good point. Well, he claims he has a particular attachment to this one. He left it here a few days ago…"

"Dirty?" Rory asked.

"Maybe, but that's not the point of the story."

"Got it, continue."

"Well, Paul Anka found it on the floor in my room, and apparently decided it was the ideal place to take a nap. I got home from work and found him sleeping there, and when I tried to take it from him he growled at me."

"Does Paul Anka know how to growl?"

"Apparently, he does. And he only applies this new skill when I'm trying to get Luke's shirt from him. Since then he's carried it all around the house with him, everywhere he goes. He only puts it down when he's eating and sleeping, and when he's sleeping he lies on it, and when he's eating he watches it, and very carefully."

"You're kidding."

"Please. I couldn't make this up."

"Exaggerating?"

"I never exaggerate."

"Please."

"Well, I'm not. I told Luke he wasn't getting his shirt back any time soon, which is when he revealed to me that this particular flannel shirt is one of his favorites, and he really wants it back."

"Did you tell him you have a crazy dog that will not be denied?"

"I did, but I don't think he believed me. He's coming over tonight, so he can see for himself."

"Let me know how it goes."

"Try to stop me."

Rory looked at her watch and sighed. "Lunch in fifteen minutes. I have to get ready. I'll call you later."

"Sooner's better," Lorelai complained.

"As soon as I can, I promise."

"I guess I can live with that."

"You're going to have to. Bye, Mom."

"Bye, Rory."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Miss Patty's conversation with Babette, along with various other conversations throughout the diner, rapidly ceased as Luke walked out the door. The diner was eerily silent. "Where do you think he's going?" someone asked, breaking the silence.

"Lorelai's house," Babette responded. "It's obvious. He has that gleam in his eye."

"That means he won't be back for awhile," Lulu inferred, "probably not until tomorrow morning."

"All clear," Miss Patty confirmed. "Kirk, what did you have to announce?"

"Project Proposal is underway. The date has been set, next Saturday at eight thirty."

Excitement broke out in the diner. Everyone talked at once, and a few people applauded. Lane broke up the chaos by asking Kirk the obvious question. "How exactly are you going to get Luke to propose to Lorelai?"

Kirk looked uneasy, but replied, "It will be taken care of."

"Is that all, Kirk? I have a class in fifteen minutes," Patty asked, impatient.

"One other thing. Any time you speak to another committee member about anything concerning the wedding, you have to open with the phrase 'How are those cookies, Bob?' If the person you're addressing knows the area to be Lorelai and Luke free, they will respond, 'The cookies are fine.' Otherwise, they'll say, 'I burnt the cookies. You can't have one.'"

"Won't they start wondering why the entire town has suddenly become cookie obsessed?" Lane wanted to know.

"Do you have a better code phrase?" Kirk asked incredulously.

"Well, no, I guess not," Lane said.

"Then mine stand. Any questions?"

No one seemed to want to argue with Kirk, so the diner was silent.

"Good. Spread the word."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh good, you're here," Lorelai said as Luke entered her living room. "Now you can see that I'm not entirely crazy.""I've known you were crazy for eleven years. You expect that idea to change now?"

"Okay, I am crazy, but so is my dog. Look," she said, gesturing toward Paul Anka, who was lying on the chair in the corner on top of Luke's shirt.

"Okay, so he's lying on it. I can get it back," Luke said, walking toward the chair.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Lorelai warned.

Luke found a corner of the shirt and tried to pull it out from under Paul Anka. The dog picked up his head, looked at Luke, and growled. "I didn't know he knew how to growl," Luke said, surprised.

Lorelai smiled. "That's what Rory said. And neither did I until the first time I tried to take that shirt from him. He's perfectly capable, but I guess this is the first time he's felt the need."

"Guess so," Luke said. "Well, wait until he's eating or something, then take it from him."

"I tried that. While he's eating, he watches it."

"You're insane."

"My dog's insane."

"The dog gets it from you."

"Maybe he gets it from you. Now all the men in my life have a thing for flannel," she said in a high-pitched, purposely annoying voice.

"Maybe he should get his own," Luke said, clearly annoyed.

"Well, this will teach you not to leave your clothes here," Lorelai said playfully.

"When have I ever left my clothes here before this?" Luke asked. "You say it like I leave stuff here all the time."

"Well, I thought maybe it was going to become a pattern. You know, you leave your shirt here once, maybe next it'll be your pants, and what after that, I don't even want to think about."

"I had another shirt. I spilled spaghetti sauce on that one when I was making dinner. You make it out like I was running through Stars Hollow shirtless."

"Well, how do I know you weren't?"

"You saw me?"

"Details."

"Maybe it's the spaghetti sauce on the shirt that Paul Anka likes," Luke said experimentally. "Maybe if you wash it he won't be so obsessed with it."

"How do you suggest I wash it?" Lorelai asked. "He'll barely let me touch it."

"Well, it was a thought."

"Not a very good one. So, do we go out and eat first, or order in and start the movies now?"

"Do I dare to ask what the movies are?"

"Hey, my question first."

"Maybe what the movies are has a bearing on my answer."

"And maybe that's why you have to answer before I'll tell you what they are."

"If they're bad enough that you won't tell me what they are, we're going out," Luke said with finality.

"Where do we go? Al's?" Lorelai asked.

"Land of the blue manicotti? I think not," Luke said.

"Where, then?"

"I don't know, maybe there's somewhere good in Woodbury."

"Okay, let's try it. I'm up for an adventure," Lorelai said.

"I don't think much else is as adventurous as Al's."

"We'll see. Haven't you seen Woodbury's new motto? 'Town of Adventurous Eating.'"

"You're joking," Luke half-asked.

"Of course."

"Nothing would surprise me."

"You do know our patronizing the next town would drive Taylor into insanity if he found out."

"Why do you think I suggested it?"

"Just making sure you realized how great a thing it is we're doing."

"I'm one hundred percent aware," Luke confirmed.


	6. Minor Difficulties

"So things with you and Luke are finally good again," Sookie said to Lorelai, practically squealing with pleasure.

"Yeah, I'd say they are," Lorelai agreed contentedly.

"I always knew everything would work out. It took you a little while, but everything finally did." Sookie looked away from the celery she was chopping, a dreamy look in her eye. "When do you think you're going to get married?" she asked, as if it were an incredibly simple question.

"I don't know, Sook. It depends… on a lot of things. I really want Rory there, so a lot of it's based on when she can be home, and we're trying not to rush things this time."

Sookie's face fell. She hadn't thought about Rory needing to come home for the wedding, and she doubted anyone else had, either. That could complicate things. Trying to hide what was going through her mind, she clung to the last part of what Lorelai had said. "When have you ever rushed things before?" she asked. "You've known each other for, what, eleven years? That's not exactly rushed."

"It'll happen when it happens," Lorelai insisted, refilling her coffee cup.

"Since when are you all 'go with the flow'?" Sookie asked.

Before Lorelai could reply, Michel appeared in the doorway holding the phone. "For Sookie," he said, in his usual annoyed tone. "He says it is urgent. Something about cookies."

Sookie flushed, but not because, as Lorelai assumed, something had gone wrong with the dessert for an event she was catering. She quickly took the phone. "Hello?"

"How are the cookies, Bob?" Kirk's voice asked, sounding comically stealthy.

"The cookies are bad. Horrible actually," Sookie said, all too aware of Lorelai listening to her every word.

"That's not the correct code-phrase!" Kirk said, sounding upset. "You're supposed to say, 'I burnt the cookies, you can't have one.'"

"Well, you knew what I meant," Sookie retorted, annoyed.

"I couldn't have known for sure. Maybe what you said is a code-phrase someone else initiated and failed to tell me about. Maybe it means something entirely different."

"I burnt the cookies, you can't have one," Sookie said, purely to appease Kirk. She was vaguely aware of Lorelai's shocked expression. She should have anticipated it. Sookie burning food wasn't natural, even if she was pregnant.

"Call back as soon as possible," Kirk said. "I have urgent news related to the wedding."

"I gathered," Sookie said. "There's something else about the cookies that I need to tell you. Very important," she said, hoping Kirk would follow her.

"What cookies? Sookie, you know you don't really have to bake cookies, right? It's only a code word."

Sookie sighed. "Never mind. Bye," she said.

"Call back as soon as it's clear," Kirk said. With that, he hung up.

"What was that about?" Lorelai asked as Sookie set the phone on the counter.

"Oh, you know, that dessert I'm making for that private party."

"What private party?" Lorelai asked.

"You know. That one," Sookie said. "The one with the people, and the food, and the people who need food…" Sookie was a terrible liar, and she knew it.

Apparently so did Lorelai. "What are you up to, Sook?" she asked with a suspicious smile.

"What?" Sookie asked, in mock-surprise. "Nothing! Nothing at all. You remember, that party, for those people… Those people that really love cookies…"

Lorelai shook her head and turned to leave the room. "I have some stuff at the desk to take care of," she explained. "But don't expect me to believe you're actually burning food." With that, she left the kitchen.

Sookie quickly picked up the phone and called Kirk. "How are the cookies, Bob?" she asked when he answered, making sure the phrasing was exactly correct this time.

"The cookies are fine," Kirk replied. "Here's the latest development. We're going to leave Luke no less than twelve anonymous notes each day, telling Luke to propose on the previously agreed upon date, at the previously agreed upon time."

Sookie sighed in exasperation. "How many people have you told this plan to, Kirk?"

"Just you. And Lulu."

"What did Lulu say?" Sookie asked.

Kirk's tone changed. He suddenly sounded annoyed. "She said it wouldn't work. She said Luke would ignore our notes, and he'd figure out what we were doing."

"Uh-huh. Well, Lulu's probably right, Kirk."

"Do you think so?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, do you have any better ideas?"

"Well, no, but I do have another potential problem."

"What now?" Kirk asked, dismayed.

"Rory."

"What about her?"

"She has to be at the wedding, Kirk."

"Okay. I'll find a way to invite her," Kirk said, thinking he'd solved the problem with that simple statement.

"Kirk, she's following a presidential campaign. She's not going to be able to just leave and come home to go to a wedding."

"Oh," Kirk said, sounding dejected. "Well, what do you suggest?"

"I don't suggest anything," Sookie said, frustrated. "I just figured I'd bring that little problem to your attention."

"Well, consider it brought," said Kirk, now angry. "Anything else you want to bring to my attention?"

"No, I think that's it," said Sookie, oblivious to Kirk's tone. "I'll talk to you later."

"The next meeting of the secret committee is eight o'clock tomorrow night, at Miss Patty's," Kirk said, just before hanging up.

"Okay, I'll be there," Sookie said, not realizing that Kirk had already hung up. She waited a moment, and got no reply. "Hello? Kirk?"

At that moment, Lorelai walked into the kitchen. "Why'd Kirk call?" she asked, making her way to the coffee pot for a refill.

"Oh, you know Kirk," Sookie said. When Lorelai still looked puzzled, she added, "Wrong number."

"Got it," Lorelai said. She left the room again, coffee cup newly filled.

Sookie sighed. That was about as close as it could get.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

There was a lot of buzz in Miss Patty's studio as people assembled for the meeting. It seemed that Kirk had only called it the previous day, and no one seemed to know why. As people filtered in, Kirk stood at the front of the room, attempting to talk Taylor into letting him borrow his gavel. "I have something I need to say," Kirk insisted. "Anyway, I called this meeting. You don't even know what we're meeting about."

"You can speak first, Kirk, but as town selectman, it is I, and only I, that has control of the gavel."

"But I'm the one that should get to run the meeting!" Kirk insisted. "I called it. You run all the other meetings. And I'm head of the wedding committee. I should get to host all wedding-related meetings."

Taylor seemed not to hear Kirk's last argument, and instead watched as the doors to Miss Patty's were closed. When everyone was seated, he banged the gavel, ignoring Kirk, who was still standing in front of Taylor's podium. "This meeting will now come to order," he said.

"I've always wanted to say that," Kirk complained loudly.

"It seems that Kirk has an announcement to make regarding wedding plans. Kirk?"

Kirk immediately started pacing back in forth in front of the room, clearly for effect. "


	7. Luke in the Sky With Diamonds

**A/N: We don't own anything. Giving credit where credit is due, the songs in this chapter are "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" by the Beatles and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", done by a lot of people over the years.**

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai awoke to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She had heard the ring tone in her dream. But waking up before daybreak to the phone was even more confusing to her than the fact that her cell phone was ringing… when she was having a dream that she broke her cell phone. She fumbled with objects on her night table, her eyes still closed, until she found the phone.

"Hello?" she answered sleepily.

"Mom? I thought you'd be up by now. I'm sorry," Rory said from the other line.

Lorelai attempted to sit up. "Hindsight is 20/20. It's okay. What's up?"

"I'm coming home!" Rory squealed.

Lorelai's eyes flew open at the mention of those words. She pulled herself up and rubbed her eyes, attempting to focus on the good news she had just received. "You are? When?" she yawned.

"Friday through Sunday. It's a weekend of campaigning in Connecticut, and judging by the fact that there's alliteration involved, it should be a good thing!" Rory replied, fixing her hair in the mirror.

Lorelai smiled and stretched. "That's great, hon. We should make plans. Well, obviously I know that you don't have all the time in the world, but would your boss let you hang out with me at SOME point while you're here?"

"I hope so. I mean, I've been covering the campaign since I left. And as long as I hit the important stuff, I don't need to stalk him while he's talking to barbers, right? It all depends on how I present it, I guess. I hope he says yes."

"Yeah. But still, is he going to just be that cruel to you, Rory? What, is he going to suddenly get a comb-over and slam his fist on the desk, point to you and say 'Rory, you're fired!'? Somehow I don't think that that's going to happen," Lorelai insisted.

"My boss can't really fire me, I'm just a little nervous at this point. You know, it's a new job, and you're still trying to figure out what's appropriate. You've been there."

"I'd be nervous too, that the hair would start crawling across his head," Lorelai added in a mocking tone.

"First off, my boss doesn't even look like Donald Trump. And second, your imagination is far too vivid for me this early in the morning."

Lorelai threw off her blankets. "Well, you're the one that woke me up, missy."

"Right. Anyway, it was exciting news! I wanted to make sure you knew when I knew. Is that a crime?" Rory argued.

"Not one Johnnie Cochran couldn't defend."

"Good to know. Sorry to wake you up, I have a breakfast meeting with my supervisor, and Hugo Gray. See, Dale Young is the Michel of the paper, but Hugo Gray is the Lorelai Gilmore," Rory explained.

Lorelai giggled as she flipped on the lightswitch. "So you have to go to a major butt-kissing breakfast? Make sure you floss your teeth, you know, you don't want some sort of parsley to be hanging out of there or anything."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Will do," she insisted. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Lorelai replied. She put the phone back on the night table, shut off the light, and attempted to fall asleep again. But she knew it wasn't going to work. After tossing and turning for nearly twenty minutes, she gave in. Lorelai dragged herself out of bed, got dressed, and headed to Luke's.

Luke was surprised to see her so early. He had just opened the diner, and Kirk was usually his first customer… something was definitely up. He watched her as she took a seat at the counter, staring at the coffeepot and not saying a word.

"Would you like me to pour you a cup of coffee, Lorelai?" Luke asked, breaking the silence.

Lorelai kept her eyes fixated on the coffee. "Yeah, that'd be good, seeing as how my Matilda-like powers seem to have escaped me today."

Luke obliged, pouring her the first cup of coffee. "What are you doing up? Usually you haven't even finished one REM cycle at this hour, and on your day off?" he questioned, counting the money in the cash register.

"Well," Lorelai started, taking a sip of coffee, "Rory called to inform me that she's coming home for a weekend. The Senator's coming to the great state we live in, and she's skipping the barbers."

Luke stopped, mid-count, to look at Lorelai. "Huh?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

She took another sip of coffee and sighed, folding her arms on the counter and resting her chin on top of them. "She's getting out of a few unnecessary photo-ops to hang out."

"I see. When's she coming?" Luke asked.

Lorelai smiled and her eyes lit up. It was obvious that when she talked about Rory, she got excited. "This weekend. It's a good weekend to have her, I mean, because I've been going crazy since she's been gone, and I need to plan the weekend accordingly."

"What were you thinking of doing?"

"Ah, we have to discuss it. It should be a good weekend, regardless. I mean, any weekend with Rory is going to be a good one," Lorelai rambled. "Even if we just sit on the couch and watch TV, or even if we just sat and had a staring contest!"

"A staring contest?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Not such a great idea. See, I wouldn't be able to talk to her and my contacts would dry out. Not so cool. But I think reminiscing would be cool. I'm going to go home to see what's in my closet, maybe we can have a karaoke night or something… well, it's not really karaoke, but you know…"

Luke leaned across the counter and kissed her. "I think your rate of words per minute increases with the caffeine intake," he insisted.

"I'll be back later, don't you worry!" Lorelai said, taking the last sip of coffee.

What Luke and Lorelai didn't notice was that Kirk was sitting at his usual table, waiting patiently to be served until he overheard their conversation. Luke spotted Kirk, walked over to the table, and Kirk shot up from his seat, running full speed toward the door. He nearly knocked Lorelai over, running across the town square to Miss Patty's.

Kirk banged on the door to the studio, shouting for Miss Patty to come out. "Miss Patty!" he yelled.

Miss Patty emerged from the dance studio. "Kirk! It's early! What's going on here?"

"How are the cookies, Bob?" Kirk managed to get out between breaths, more as an indicator of what he was there for than to make sure Luke and Lorelai were nowhere around. He leaned his hand on the door jam, panting and hunched over from running so fast.

"The cookies are fine," Miss Patty answered, inviting Kirk into the studio.

Kirk sat down and panted as Miss Patty brought him water. Kirk downed the glass in seconds and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He finally stood up and walked toward the door. "We've had a breakthrough in Project Proposal… and we need to have an emergency meeting. Gather everyone you can, we'll inform the rest of the new developments later," he insisted.

Miss Patty and Kirk made their way around town and managed to pull the majority of important members of the committee to the meeting, excluding Taylor for Kirk's own benefit. Kirk grabbed his own makeshift gavel and banged it on the podium. "This meeting has now come to order!" Kirk insisted with a smile.

Everyone in the committee groaned. "Kirk, this isn't cool," Morey piped up.

"Did you look at the time before you kidnapped us?" Gypsy complained.

Kirk stood before the crowd, most of them still in pajamas, and took a deep breath. "I have a solution to Project Proposal," he declared.

With those words, the room filled with chatter and the excitement level rose. "What's the plan?" Babette asked.

"Well," Kirk began, "Rory is expected back in the area for the weekend. Conveniently, June 3rd falls in this homecoming. Taylor was also mentioning moving the Bid-on-a-Basket extravaganza up to early summer. Piecing the two together completes the package."

"Uh, that's nice, Kirk, but how does the basket bidding have anything to do with all of this?" Sookie questioned.

Kirk flipped a piece of paper on his paper easel over to reveal a brief outline of his plans. "I, as Taylor's assistant auctioneer this year, am obligated to organize the baskets for the festival. Lorelai has not yet submitted her basket, but when she does, we slip a ring into her basket and when she opens the basket for her and Luke to have a nice picnic, she finds it there."

The crowd began to get restless at the idea that Project Proposal was underway once again. The excitement and joy stopped when Zach stood up to speak.

"Dude, look, I hate to bum everyone out, but how are you going to get the ring in the first place?"

Kirk's face flushed at the mention of obtaining the ring. He hadn't thought of it so thoroughly before he mentioned it to the town. Luckily, Miss Patty was there to rescue him from embarrassment and torture.

"Well, Zach, would Luke let you go upstairs to grab something if you needed it? Or maybe Caesar would be allowed to go upstairs to the apartment? Either way, Luke is bound to have that ring hidden somewhere," she pointed out.

Kirk pumped his fist in the air. "Victory!" he said. "Zach gets the ring, gives it to me, and from there, the rest is up to Lorelai and Luke. Now we have to grab Taylor to start planning the Bid-on-a-Basket event, or else our foundation's going to crumble faster than our metaphorical cookies."

"Wow," Babette said. "This is gonna be the biggest news to hit Stars Hollow since the Tonya Harding-Nancy Kerrigan Scandal!"

Gypsy turned around to Babette. "Uh, that didn't happen anywhere near here," she said.

"Yeah, but still," Babette said, shrugging, "it rocked Stars Hollow like an earthquake."

* * *

Meanwhile, Lorelai was searching through her closet for some old CD's she and Rory had made. She recalled the day when she and Rory got the CD burner and went through the entire pack of blank CD's that night. She found all of them stacked in the back of her closet. Lorelai pulled the first one out, and flipped the jewel case over to read what was on it. Rory's Microsoft Word skills allowed them to create a list for each CD's contents to avoid repeating music.

As Lorelai flipped through the first CD, Luke came stomping up the stairs. "Ooh, someone's mad… but I don't quite see you turning green yet," Lorelai teased.

Luke sighed. "I'm not going to become the Incredible Hulk and rip off my shirt, Lorelai… and yes, dirty, I know."

She pouted. "You stole my line. And what, you think since we're together again, you can just waltz in here anytime without knocking?"

Luke ignored her comment and began pacing the room. A rant was surely coming. "There's no one in the diner. No one. You and Kirk and Andrew are the three people, other than me, who have set foot in the place since we opened this morning! Not to mention the fact that I walked over to Kirk, without saying a word, and he stared at me, like a deer in headlights, and ran away from me!"

Lorelai giggled as she put a CD aside. "Relax. First off, it's Kirk, what would you expect from Kirk? Second, it's a slow Sunday morning. Everyone's probably still sleeping, if they're smart. Besides, it's hotter than usual, and the heat wave is causing everyone to be lazy. They'll show up for lunch," she assured Luke. "Here, come hang out with me and see what random junk we put on our CD's."

Luke shook his head. "I'm not getting involved in this."

Lorelai grabbed his arm. "Aw, come on, Luke, I'm just reminiscing! Come over here, sit down, relax, I'm not going to make you get up and cha cha or anything."

"Fine." Luke sat down, reluctantly, agreeing to let Lorelai help him relax.

"All right. I've got a way for you to relax… picture yourself in a boat on a river… you're liking this, you like water," Lorelai said, putting her hand on Luke's knee.

"Okay, in a boat, on a river…" Luke repeated, trying to appease Lorelai.

"With tangerine trees and marmalade skies…"

"Ah, jeez, Lorelai, I agreed to let you help me relax, not go on an acid trip."

Lorelai laughed. "I was wondering how long it was going to take you to realize that I was feeding you lines from 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds'… that was great. It took you longer than I predicted," she insisted, changing the song on the CD player.

Luke stared at Lorelai as she grabbed the hairbrush sitting on the night table and sang into it. He buried his head in his hands, fearing the worst as she began to burst out in song. "Listen, baby, ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low…"

"Stop it, Lorelai," Luke insisted.

She continued to sing, ignoring the phone as it rang. "Ain't no river, wide enough, baby…"

"Aren't you going to answer the phone?" Luke asked.

Lorelai shook her head and continued singing. "If you need me, call me, no matter where you are…"

Luke, frustrated, went downstairs and picked up the phone, risking the possibility that Emily was on the other line. Sometimes, he had to pick up where Lorelai left off in their relationship. This was just going to be one of those times. "Hello?" he answered.

"Luke?" Rory asked, confused.

Luke cleared his throat. Part of him was glad to hear from her. It was Rory, after all, and he adored Rory and missed her. But another part of him was slightly embarrassed, knowing full well that Rory was Lorelai's daughter, and the fact that he answered the phone could be construed as something it wasn't. He took a deep breath. "Rory, hi, how are you?"

"I'm fine… you keeping Mom in line? Making sure she doesn't go on too many Mallomar binges or try to make a halfpipe in the backyard, or telling people to call her Betty Crocker or something?" she asked.

Luke sighed. "As of now, there's no half pipe, her name's still Lorelai, and as for the Mallomars, well, I'd try and stop her, but she'd cause bodily harm. You know your mother."

"I sure do," Rory said, giggling. There was an awkward silence until Rory continued. "Listen, not that I don't appreciate talking to you, but why did you answer the phone?" Rory asked curiously. "Did you and Mom do something dirty?"

Luke blushed. "No, no… ah, jeez, no… she's just singing into a hairbrush and refused to answer the phone," he said, walking upstairs and preparing to hand the phone off to Lorelai. He went into the bedroom, stepping over piles of junk from Lorelai's closet.

"Is that 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough'? I think I can hear it through the phone, and if I can, that gives me the notion that Taylor probably isn't too happy about it," Rory insisted.

"Yeah, him and me both. I'll pass the phone to her, it was nice talking to you. See you soon," Luke said.

"You too. See you this weekend," Rory replied.

Luke took the hairbrush away, handing the phone to Lorelai just as she started the chorus.

"Hello?" Lorelai said into the phone, attempting to grab the brush from Luke.

Rory giggled. "I'm so glad that there's no mountain too high for you to come to me if I need it," she teased.

"Ah, well, 'I Will Always Love You' was already used, so I figured this was the next best thing. What's up, sweets?"

"I talked to Senator Obama today!" she shrieked.

Lorelai turned down the music and sat down on the bed. "Wow, aren't you just a happy camper today? What, did a genie come and grant you three wishes? If so, I hope you wished for infinite wishes, because three is just too little an amount," she said, winking at Luke.

"I would have if that were the case, but I was just introduced to him today at breakfast… he was eating in the same area as I was, and my bosses were there, and they just waltzed over to him like they'd known him for years. Apparently they have known him for years, and I got an interview with him… some sort of connection with a sponsor or something," Rory explained.

Lorelai smiled. "Did he need a piece of gum?"

"Mom!"

"Hey, I was just curious! You'd never know. I've been reading his book… you know, the one you told me to read… what's it called?"

Rory laughed. "'The Audacity of Hope?'"

"That's it. So apparently the President gave him hand sanitizer… so who's to say he wouldn't bum a Big Red off of you?" Lorelai chattered.

"I don't like Big Red, and no, he didn't."

Lorelai followed Luke down the stairs. "So disappointing. Did you guys have a fruitful discussion? Did you tell him about yourself? If you did, I hope you didn't tell him about the time when you were four and you wanted to give me a makeover."

"What?"

"You were four. I had the day off at the inn, and you were bored and wanted to do my hair. I allowed you to use my round brush, but you rolled it up so high you got it caught in my hair. I had to have Mia fish it out," Lorelai said.

Rory sighed. "First of all, I don't remember that happening, so why would I tell him that? Second, we had a discussion related to politics, you know, the stuff that he kind of expects to talk about?"

"Politics, shmolitics," Lorelai said, waving her hand in the air and giving Luke a quick kiss before seeing him out.

"Great comeback, Mom. Impressive, I must say. I have to go, but I wanted to tell you that. Oh wait, I meant to ask… did you and Luke do something dirty last night?"

Lorelai laughed her evil laugh. "Wouldn't you like to know!"

"Gross! Mom! I think I'll stick with Luke's answer to that question."

"I agree. Talk soon."

"Bye, Mom."


	8. They're On To Us!

The next few days brought both excitement and stress for Lorelai as she juggled plans for Rory's homecoming, events at the inn, and the overly weird behavior of the townspeople. Lorelai had only twenty four hours to plan an amazing mother-daughter day, and then a great mother-daughter-Luke day. And if she were to do all of that, she would need some coffee. As she waltzed into the kitchen, Sookie immediately hung up the telephone. Lorelai sighed. That was the last straw. She was going to try and get what was going on out of Sookie if it killed her.

Lorelai felt a Luke-like rant coming on. She tried not to be as angry in her tone, so Sookie wouldn't be scared of her, but she was confused and frustrated. "What is going on here? Everyone in this town acts like there's something going on every single time I'm around. They just give me this look, and the conversations stop as soon as I enter the room. I haven't felt this way since people commented about how I was showing when I was pregnant!"

Sookie turned red. "Sorry, hon, I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"I'm not hurt, I'm just slightly confused. What's with all the talk about cookies, and whether they're burnt or not? And how come they're always burnt when I'm around? I'm starting to think that this is code for something," Lorelai insisted.

"Well," Sookie said, trying to think on her feet. "You know how much everyone in this town adores you, Lorelai, and we wouldn't do anything to hurt your feelings on purpose."

Lorelai reached for the coffee and poured herself a cup. She knew the town loved her, and would always be there for her. Somehow, she knew that this wasn't vindictive on the part of the town… she'd just have to figure out what it was. As she took a sip of coffee, listening to Sookie dig herself into a deeper hole, Michel poked his head into the kitchen.

"Lorelai, you have a phone call," he said.

"Who is it, Michel?" she asked, reaching for the sugar.

Michel made a face. "It is your lumberjack boyfriend, wanting to speak with you."

Lorelai placed the mug on the counter. "I'll be back, I gotta take this," she said, walking to the front desk. She walked to the desk, picking up the phone as she passed, and made her way down the halls of the inn to the closet. "Hello?" she answered.

"What the hell is going on with this town? Seriously, what is it with these people?" Luke ranted. "One minute they're asking me about the chuppah I built you, which by the way, I didn't realize so many people knew about. Then they talk about burnt cookies, all the time. They give me looks when I serve them, and all conversation stops when I'm in a 50-foot radius!"

Lorelai giggled, moving things out of the way to press her back against the wall. "Slow down, Gunpowder, did you ever think that this has something to do with us?"

"Obviously it has something to do with us," he growled.

"No, what I meant was US, us. Like us together. As a couple. Us."

Luke sighed. "So you're getting it, too, huh?"

"I have no idea what's going on, but something's up."

"You'd think they'd just let us be," Luke started. "You know? No one harasses Kirk and Lulu, or Lane and Zach, or Sookie and Jackson!"

"Luke, calm down, okay? Look, think of it as their loving way of showing support for us," Lorelai said. "I had a rant today, too, but we just have to let it go. Rant over?"

Luke brought the phone to his other ear. "What happens if they do something crazy? What happens if… I don't know, they do something to humiliate us?"

"Well, I guess we just wait and see. As of right now, they're being so secretive that we don't know what's going on. I'll try to get it out of Sookie, but at this point, she's not even saying anything. And that's big," Lorelai said. "But what I do know is that they're on to us. They're not dumb, just because we're taking it slow and not announcing our… togetherness to the world doesn't mean they don't know. So we'll just have to see what happens. C'est la vie, come what may, life is like a box of chocolates…"

Adjusting his baseball cap, Luke thought about the prospect of waiting it out. "I get it, Lorelai. All right, we'll just wait it out. Anyway, what are you doing tonight?"

"You," Lorelai said in her best seductress voice.

"Ah, jeez," Luke said. Lorelai could picture him blushing on the other end. "Seriously, do you have plans?"

Lorelai shook her head. "Not really. Why?"

"Uh, well, I was thinking we could give the dating thing a try one more time," he said slowly.

"What did you have in mind? I mean, we've been out together, you know, eating and movies and stuff. Doesn't that count as our third first date?" Lorelai questioned.

"Well," Luke started. "Maybe we just need to make it an official third first date. You know, me dressing up, you taking fifteen minutes to get ready after my arrival instead of your normal forty-five…"

"The awkwardness, the 'is it okay if I kiss you now?' and 'let's talk about our hobbies' and 'I'm totally putting on an act for you, because tonight's only our first date, and the real me doesn't present herself until the sixth date?"

Luke smiled. "If that's how you want it, then sure."

"I'll be ready at 7:15," Lorelai said.

* * *

Rory opened her suitcase, searching for the best shirt to wear with her new white skirt. The shirt she was looking for seemed to be hiding on her, exactly when she needed it. 

"Come on, now, shirt! I will find you!" Rory said as her cell phone rang. She certainly had taken to some of her mother's antics, like talking to inanimate objects. "Stupid shirt, stupid phone, why must you hide from me?" She abandoned the search for the shirt and opted to stay in her pajamas for a little while as she reached for her phone.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Rory! Doll! It's Babette! Remember me?" Babette's voice chirped from the other line.

Rory shook her head and smiled. It was so nice to hear a familiar voice from Stars Hollow. "Of course, Babette, how's Apricot? And Morey?"

"Aw, they're just fine, sugah. We miss you so, so much! How's Iowa?" she asked.

"Well, I left Iowa awhile ago, I'm in New Jersey today, and tomorrow, I'll be in Stars Hollow. Senator Obama's doing some campaigning in the area and I asked my boss if I could hang out for a little while," Rory explained.

That seemed to fuel Babette's enthusiasm. "We can't wait, doll. Anyway, the reason I called ya was to get an idea of a couple of things about Lorelai."

"I am an expert in the Lorelai field, shoot," Rory said cautiously.

"All right. Now Lorelai's shoe size is… eight?" Babette asked, trying to confirm her recollections.

Rory resumed her search for the shirt. "Why do you want to know her shoe size?"

Babette paused. "Well, doll, we figured that this town doesn't appreciate Lorelai enough. We each decided to do a little somethin' for her on her Appreciation Day. Everyone in town's gettin' one before it's all over with. Which reminds me, I might need some ideas for Luke's."

"Eight and a half," Rory said, realizing something was up. There was no appreciation day going on, but Rory knew that the whole town was planning something. It was humanly impossible for them to take the news of Luke and Lorelai together again without putting a plan in motion.

"Great. And she likes anythin' that Sookie cooks, right?" Babette pressed.

Rory shrugged. "For the most part, sure."

"And Luke? Did he ever give your mom that chuppah he was buildin'? So sweet of him, if ya ask me."

"It's in the yard," Rory said.

"Thanks, dollface, I owe ya one. See ya this weekend!" Babette said, quickly hanging up the telephone.

* * *

The jingling of the diner's door bell startled Luke. It had been yet another slow day, as the town was preparing for yet another stupid festival. Luke wasn't an expert on festivals, but he knew this was the reason for the lack of customers in the diner. He looked up to find Lorelai holding what looked like dozens of shopping bags in her hand. She could barely open the door to the diner. He quickly came to her rescue, opening the door so she could get in. 

"Phew! Thanks, Luke!" Lorelai said, dropping the bags where she stood.

Luke grunted. "You know you can't just leave those there," he said, pointing to the bags.

Lorelai walked to the counter and grabbed a donut. "Why not?"

"Because they block the entrance, that's why not!" Luke protested.

Lorelai continued to eat her donut, taking one look at the bags and shrugging. "I'll move them if anyone wants to come in," she said.

Luke watched her as he poured her a cup of coffee. As exasperating, annoying, chatty, and coffee-addicted as she was, there was just something about her that made him stick around. He had spent many a morning staring at her from afar, trying to put his finger on exactly what it was. He obviously knew she was beautiful, an added bonus, but what he couldn't figure out until they started dating was how she was everything he wasn't. She brought out a side of him that no one else could, and he could try his hardest to do the same for her.

"Luke? I know you're not Chatty McTalkers, but you're really quiet today, even for you," she said. "What's wrong?"

Luke shrugged. "I was just… thinking. About having Rory back this weekend."

"I know, isn't it going to be fun? I have a plan for this weekend. Friday is Sephora day… manicures, pedicures, and the like... and then the three of us are going to Friday Night Dinner," Lorelai said, rushing the last part.

Luke tried to interrupt, but Lorelai held up her hand to stop him. "Not your thing, completely understandable, and besides, we owe you. So, Saturday is you, me, Rory, and a movie marathon. Take the entire day from the diner, buddy, because you're getting a taste of Gilmore movie magic! We've even agreed to let you pick a movie of your own, even if it's 'Star Wars'. Then, Sunday, you bid on my basket, Rory goes out with whomever decides to pay for her company, and we get spoiled by Luke for dinner. Rory leaves at four o' clock on Monday morning."

He stared back at Lorelai in disbelief. "You've really included me in your plans for this weekend."

Lorelai tilted her head. "Luke, really, I'm just kidding. It's all a joke, you're not going to see me this entire weekend. You are the weakest link, goodbye!" she said in her best British accent.

"You don't have to do this," Luke insisted.

"Luke," Lorelai said seriously, changing her tone, "you are a part of our lives. You always have been. Now that you and I are together again, I think it's only right for me to include you."

Luke continued to wipe down the counter. "You sure you don't want some time alone with Rory?"

Lorelai nodded. "We planned it like this for a reason. I have alone time with her, so don't worry. Now I have to get home for our official third first date. And you never told me what you have in store for me tonight… where are we going?"

"I'll be there at seven," Luke said, avoiding answering her question. "And don't think that you got the fact that I have to attend Friday Night Dinner past me."

Lorelai leaned across the counter to kiss Luke. "Well, aren't you just a regular Dick Tracy?" she teased, picking up the bags and opening the door. "See you in a little while."

* * *

"All right, Kirk, I need you to check off the baskets that we got in today," Taylor said from across the town square. 

Kirk reached for his clipboard. "Got it," he said, walking toward the baskets. He watched Taylor critiquing the way the decorations were hung. Turning his attention to the baskets, he patted his jacket pocket to ensure that the ring was still safely there. When he was sure it was still in his zipped coat pocket, he searched for Lorelai's basket. He found the basket and placed the ring inside, checking off Lorelai's name on the clipboard. Smiling in satisfaction that his work was finished on the proposal front, he breathed a sigh of relief.

All he had to do now was enjoy.

* * *

Lorelai hated surprises. Was the date 'little black dress' appropriate, or would jeans and a halter top suffice? Would she need a sweater? And where was Rory when she needed her? Oh, yeah, that's right, on the campaign trail with Barack Obama. But soon, she'd be in Stars Hollow… where Lorelai needed her. 

She filed through the clothes in her closet, attempting to find the perfect outfit. She sighed, realizing that selecting an outfit was going to be more difficult than she had originally anticipated. She took a blue dress from the closet, took one look at it, and shook her head. Making a face, she pulled out yet another dress. As she stared at it, surveying it from top to bottom, the phone rang. Lorelai wasn't expecting a phone call.

"Hello?" she answered cautiously.

"Give me a number," Rory insisted from the other line.

Lorelai thought for a moment. "Forty-two. What, are you making a cootie catcher or something to entertain yourself on the bus?"

"Actually, it's MASH. Not the TV show, the game where you plan out your life? Give me a MASH appropriate number," Rory corrected.

"Seven," Lorelai declared. "What should I wear tonight? I miss having you around so that you can think for me. I think my brain is full of cobwebs because you always made the hard choices regarding my attire."

Rory giggled. "Okay, what are you doing tonight?"

"Date with Luke. He's being more secretive than Carly Simon is about the real recipient of the sentiments in 'You're So Vain'."

"See, to me, that song is kind of redundant. She's telling this person that they're vain, and they think the song's about them. Obviously it is, though, so what makes her think that they're being vain, when it's true?" Rory protested, scratching out choices as she counted in her head.

"Way too logical for me. Who's life are you planning, anyway?"

Rory crossed out the "s" in the heading. "Yours. You'll be glad to know that you won't live in a Shack, and you won't be a lion tamer."

"True, I'm actually allergic to lion dander, so that wouldn't have been a pretty sight. Anyway, how's a black dress with the pink tie thing around the waist, and heels and a pink sweater?"

"Sounds great to me," Rory replied. "I like that dress on you. It makes you look very classy. It will work for any setting. I taught you well, maybe the Merry Maids are up there sweeping out those cobwebs."

Lorelai scrunched up her nose. "That explains the headache. How's my life coming along?"

"We've narrowed it down to two guys and two amounts of kids. I'm stopping momentarily to give you a heads up about something."

Lorelai grabbed her hairbrush and put the phone on speaker. "Shoot," she said, attempting to make her hair look nice.

"Babette called me today," Rory started.

Lorelai stopped, the hairbrush halfway through her hair. She knew the town was up to something. "Babette, huh? What'd she want?"

"To know your shoe size, and something about the Chuppah. I don't know. She made up some lame excuse as to why she wanted to know all this stuff, and I just answered, not really wanting to question her, but trying to figure out what she wanted. Then she hung up."

Lorelai nodded. "I'll keep an eye out. Continue MASH-ing," she said, reaching for her lipstick.

"MASH-ing like potatoes," Rory replied.

"Speaking of mashed potatoes, Luke was really happy we came up with such a good plan for the weekend," Lorelai said, starting a new conversation as she did her makeup.

Rory smiled. "Good. We purposely included him. He's such a good guy, Mom. He'd do the same for you if it were a weekend with him and April."

"Aw, April! I miss her. When you come back for another stop in the area, we should try and plan it so the four of us could hang out… you know, prep April, slowly but surely, to eat like us, and we'll show her all the good movies she's missing out on," Lorelai said excitedly.

Rory tapped her pen against her notebook. "It's a date. Ready to hear your future?"

"Hang on, should I sit down for this one?" Lorelai asked, knowing Rory's history with the game of MASH. She was always one to come up with the craziest life scenarios, and somehow, Lorelai was thinking that this one would be over the top as well.

"Nah, this one's only a little crazy. You're going to marry Luke," Rory started. "You're going to live in a mansion in Stars Hollow, which we all know doesn't really exist… except the Twickham house is sort of like a mansion, but anyway… Luke, mansion, Stars Hollow, you drive a yellow firebird, you have three kids together, and you're an inn owner. Pretty nice life if you ask me."

Lorelai giggled. "I'll talk to Luke about the mansion and the yellow firebird, we'll get right on the three kids thing, and I have an inn. Ta-da! May all your MASH-ing dreams come true. Abracadabra, Open Sesame, Wingardium Leviosa, bibbidy boppity boo! You know I have no idea what the last two do, right?"

"Had a feeling," Rory replied. "So how was the MASH?"

Lorelai smiled, attempting to put on her shoe. "One of the better ones I've had," she answered.

"Good. I'm going to catch up on some campaign stuff. Have fun on your date, and I can't wait to see you tomorrow!" Rory squealed.

Lorelai nodded. "Bright and early. You get in at six?"

"Yup. Six sharp."

"I'll be the one holding Luke's coffee in giant to go cups," Lorelai informed her daughter.

Rory nodded. "Night, mom."

"Night, hon," Lorelai said. She hung up the phone and walked outside after hearing Babette talking to someone.

Babette saw Lorelai and walked toward Lorelai's yard. "Hey, there, dollface, you look fantastic! What are you up to?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Ah, you know, just stuff. So uh, I heard you called Rory."

Babette nodded. "Guilty as charged. I shoulda known she'd have called ya. I asked for your shoe size because I saw the most adorable pair of shoes in the window in this store with Morey the other day, and I couldn't help but think of you for your birthday."

"Gee, thanks, Babette, but my birthday's not for months."

Babette got slightly uncomfortable. "Uh, well, you know what they say, the early bird gets the worm. I gotta go, doll, but ya look terrific, have a great time, okay?"

Lorelai watched Babette closely as she went back into the house. She listened at the steps for a moment, trying to hear anything she could.

"MOREY! THEY'RE ON TO US!" Babette shouted.


End file.
